Soviets still hope for N-arms accord

Press, 15 October 1986, Page 10

Soviets still hope for N-arms accord

NZPA-Reuter Moscow Moscow has expressed frustration that the Reykjavik summit meeting failed to produce an arms accord but seems to be leaving the door open for Soviet and United States negotiators to carry on the work, Western analysts say. The official news agency, “Tass,” said a historic chance to achieve an arms control breakthrough had been missed because of “tenacious imperial ambitions” on the United States side. The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, and United States President, Ronald Reagan, have said they came very close to reaching an arms control accord that would have removed medium-range nuclear missiles from Europe and drastically cut strategic arms. But it fell apart at the last minute over Mr

Reagan’s refusal to give up his “star wars” programme for a space-based defence system. “Tass” said: “The spectre of a chase for military superiority ... was looming large over the Reykjavik meeting.” But analysts say the language is not as angry as might have been expected, noting that at the Reykjavik news conference after the talks Mr Gorbachev had emphasised positive aspects of the meeting as well as condemning Mr Reagan for coming to Iceland empty-handed.

The two leaders failed to set a date for the visit to the United States which Mr Gorbachev was supposed to make this year according to the understanding he reached with Mr Reagan at their last summit meeting in Geneva in November, 1985.

But in a sign that it was not giving up hope, Moscow said it was sending its chief arms negotiator, Mr Viktor Karpov, around N.A.T.O. capitals in an apparent bid to keep the arms control process moving.

Mr Karpov, who will' meet Britain’s Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, today, is expected to expand on Moscow’s decision to withdraw its demands that Britain and France, Western Europe’s only nuclear powers, limit their deterrents.

The talks come two days before the French President, Francois Mitterrand, is due to fly to London for a working lunch with Mrs Thatcher, during which diplomatic sources said they would discuss the summit meeting and in particular the French and British nuclear deterrents.